Can I switch Dental Malpractice Insurance Carriers without jeopardizing my coverage?

We are asked this question all the time. The Florida dentist will say to us: “I know you have a better dental malpractice insurance policy with a better dental malpractice insurance company for a better price. But…I have been told that, if I switch dental malpractice insurance companies, I will have a gap in my malpractice insurance coverage. And, I have been told by other dental malpractice insurance agents that I may have to buy an expensive “tail”. Are there scenarios true?”

The answer is NO. Florida dentists switch dental malpractice insurance carriers all the time. The market for dental malpractice insurance is in constant flux. Dental malpractice companies come and go. Companies raise malpractice rates and reduce malpractice rates. Dentists move from office to office, open their own practices, and retire from the practice of dentistry.

It is easy to change carriers, as long as you watch out for a few simple things. Do NOT change your retroactive date—the date when coverage first began. The new dental malpractice insurance carrier can provide retroactive coverage, maintaining your original retroactive date. If you are switching from an occurrence dental malpractice policy to a claims-made one, the new dental malpractice carrier will set the retroactive date at the start of the claims-made policy. If you are retiring, your agent should have you in the position where you are eligible for a free tail.
The dental malpractice insurance market is competitive now, as new carriers enter and reduce premiums to gain market share. Know your options. Call Gracey-Backer, Inc. for a no-obligation review of your dental malpractice insurance program. Switching dental malpractice carriers has never been so easy.

John Gracey Backer, CPA
John Gracey Backer, CPA

John Gracey Backer, CPA, is the Treasurer of Gracey-Backer, Inc., an Insurance Agency in Delray Beach, Florida specializing in All Lines of Malpractice, Professional and Personal Insurance for the Healthcare Provider. He can be contacted at (561) 404-5828, or at john@gbifl.com.

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